van halenAPVan Halen's terrible original name.

There's no telling if Van Halen would have still become one of the most successful rock acts of the 1980s if they had settled on their original choice of band name, "Rat Salad."

A number of other famous bands initially intended to go by names that were equally questionable or cringe-worthy.

From the banal "On a Friday" (Radiohead) to the offensive "The Young Aborigines" (The Beastie Boys), we turned to a comprehensive Billboard article on the subject for this list of some of the many terrible names that bands wisely avoided.

Here are the 19 worst original band names of famous bands:
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Van Halen

Van Halen

Original name: Rat Salad

Kiss

Kiss

Original name: Wicked Lester

Destiny's Child

Destiny's Child

Original name: Girl's Tyme

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Original name: Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem

Goo Goo Dolls

Goo Goo Dolls

Original name: The Sex Maggots

The Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys

Original name: The Young Aborigines

Radiohead

Radiohead

Original name: On a Friday

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Original name: The Tea Set

Maroon 5

Maroon 5

Original name: Kara's Flowers

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam

Original name: Mookie Blaylock

Coldplay

Coldplay

Original name: Starfish

Nirvana

Nirvana

Original name: Pen Cap Chew

The Bee Gees

The Bee Gees

Original name: Rattlesnakes

Blink-182

Blink-182

Original name: Duck Tape

Creed

Creed

Original name: Naked Toddler

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead

Original name: The Warlocks

Earth, Wind & Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire

Original name: The Salty Peppers

The Cure

The Cure

Original name: The Obelisk

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath

Original name: Polka Tulk Blues Band